Secret
by harrysmom
Summary: What really happened when Ron and Hermione left Harry on the way to the Great Hall? A HBP missing moment


**A/N:** Oh the wonders of a muse that tells you when something you have written really bites and you should try something else. The muse knows. A big hug and a kiss on the cheek for the muse. :)

Hugs to Pili204 for her really helpful comments.

Thanks to jenorama for her excellent comments and suggestions and her wonderful beta skills

**Secret  
**

"…_**Harry found himself walking down to dinner alone from the common room, Ron having rushed off to a nearby bathroom to throw up yet again, and Hermione having dashed off to see Professor Vector**…" _**HBP Pg. 523 (American Version)**

**1/2 hour earlier…**

"_You'll be fine, Ron. I've never seen the team practice so well before," Harry said, trying to ease Ron's imaginary fears. "You're just having pre-game jitters."_

"_I don't know, Harry," Ron defended himself and then pointedly looked over at Hermione silently walking beside them. She was still blushing. "I feel as if… if I won't make it. I really need it – to go to the loo I mean."_

_Hermione cleared her throat and then she spoke. "Perhaps some time in the library going over your homework might help you get over… your nerves."_

_Ron made sure he had a look of disgust on his face as if he felt revolted from the thought. _

"_That's not what I need, I feel sick… I have to go to the loo," Ron said. He looked over Harry's head, stared directly at Hermione and tilted his head slightly towards upstairs, away from the loo._

_Ron watched as Hermione rolled her eyes and her face became a bit redder before she nodded consent. He immediately took off in the direction of the nearest male bathroom.  
_

Ron Weasley rushed down the hall on the fifth floor toward his rendezvous. As he pushed through a crowd of little first years, he turned his head and checked behind him to make sure no one was following him. Ron wasn't entirely certain that Harry believed him and he feared that he might be following him. _I can't believe he bought it,_ Ron thought as he ducked a flying ink pellet from Peeves that landed on a blonde first year's face behind him.

"**Wooh Ickle Firsties!**" Peeves the Poltergeist cackled to the screams of first years running away.

_Bloody hell, I'm going to be late!_ Ron thought as he quickened his pace down the hallway and up a moving flight of stairs. He certainly didn't want to be late seeing how he practically begged her to be there in the first place.

Thinking back on it, Ron couldn't but help feel a bit randy when Hermione Granger was on his mind. His need to be with Hermione was reaching a dangerous level of obsession and no matter what he did she was always on his mind. Ron wondered how much longer he could keep their relationship secret from his best mate and the rest of the school. Not to mention his little sister who had been giving him deep, thoughtful stares every time she caught him looking at Hermione. _Humph!_ Ron sneered as he thought of Ginny. _She's been so busy snogging Harry that she probably hasn't even thought about Hermione and me. I swear the two of them need to learn to be more discreet. _

-**CRASH!**-

Ron broke from his thoughts to see a nervous second year girl dropping her brass scales next to the hidden door of the Room of Requirement. _Honestly, they get smaller and clumsier ever year,_ Ron thought as he whisked by her without even stopping to help her pick up her scales. He made a right at the end of the hallway and hurriedly headed toward their _private_ broom closet. Ron knew that Hermione would be waiting for him and she would be in quite a state if he were late. Usually she liked to meet in more comfortable surroundings like an empty classroom or the Room of Requirement, but it didn't make a difference to Ron. As long as he had Hermione in his arms he couldn't care less where he was. Aragog's lair would be just fine with him as long as she was with him.

Ron smiled to himself as he walked. He still couldn't believe that they were actually together. _After all this time, _he thought. _We're finally a couple and thank Merlin, no one has noticed. _It was important to both of them that they kept their relationship secret. Hermione felt that it wouldn't be fair to Lavender to see them together so soon after she and Ron had broken up. When Ron had argued that Lavender had no problem snogging him in front of Hermione, she only smiled at him and said, "It's a girl thing. I wouldn't expect you to understand. There are certain things that girls just don't do and moving right in is one of them." Before Ron even attempted to reply back she leaned over and kissed him thoroughly and all thoughts of Lavender were instantaneously gone from his mind.

Ron hadn't wanted Harry to know the extent of their relationship and surprisingly enough, Hermione agreed with him. They both felt that Harry had more than enough to worry about and their burgeoning relationship would be one more thing. With everything that was going on, Harry didn't need the added worry of fights and make-ups on his head.

If Ron was being totally honest with himself, he liked the fact that no one knew. It was something that belonged to just them and that made it special. Everything had changed between the two of them since the poisoned mead fiasco. Hermione would frequently come by and visit him at the Hospital wing and they would just talk; it didn't seem like much but after several months of ignoring each other, it was heaven sent. They spoke openly about Lavender Brown, Cormac MacLaggen, Victor Krum, Ginny and Harry, Fleur and Bill, the Professors, his brothers, her parents, N.E.W.T.'s and then finally about how they felt about one another. He had to admit it was all a bit embarrassingbut the more he said, the happier he felt. Merlin, he had missed her during those last few months of cold silence.

Ron frowned at himself for not seeing what he should have a long time ago. He loved Hermione Granger. He knew it like he knew his own name. As a matter of fact he had probably been aware of this fact on some levels ever since fourth year. He still remembered how his heart dropped to his feet when he realized the pretty girl in the periwinkle robes with Viktor Krum at the Yule Ball was Hermione. He remembered how his heart skipped a beat when she kissed him before his first Quidditch match fifth year. He remembered the awful pain of betrayal he felt when he found out that Hermione had snogged Vicky. He thought about how terrible he felt when she took Cormac MacLaggen to the Slug Party. _Only good Quidditch players my arse, _he thought. He remembered how horrible he felt when she ignored him while he was with Lavender and the hurt look she had almost every time she glanced at him. No matter how many stupid and idiotic things he did, she was always there and he thanked Merlin almost every day that she stayed around until he figured things out.

As Ron reached the fifth floor broom closet he slowed down, ran his fingers through his messy hair and tried to control his breathing. He reached down, straightened his tie, brushed his shirt, and tucked the tails back into his trousers. Cupping his hand over his mouth, he did a quick breath check, popped a mint into his mouth and chewed it quickly. He breathed into his hand again and smiled. Running his right hand through his hair one final time he knocked on the door with his left.

From the other side of the door came a quiet, "Who is it?"

Ron grinned as he answered, "Draco Malfoy."

"Draco, I told you not to meet me here until 7 p.m. Ron will be here at any moment," Hermione said, a teasing lilt in her voice.

For a moment Ron was annoyed and then he realized she was joking. "Hermione, it's me. Open the door!"

He heard a giggle, then the door swung open and Hermione stood in the open doorway. She smiled at Ron and he felt his heart slam against his ribs and start to beat in an odd choppy rhythm. "Well, are you going to stand there staring or are you going to come in, Ron?" She stepped back into the closet and held the door open so Ron could pass. Ron started though the doorway when Hermione laughed, reached out, grabbed him by the tie and yanked him inside, shutting the door behind her.

"Hermione?" Ron stared at her, a little shocked by her action.

"I'm sorry Ron. All I wanted was to be alone you. I thought about it so much that I even missed two whole minutes of Professor Vector's explanation of the quiz. That's why I said I wanted to speak with him."

Ron laughed. No matter what, Hermione's schoolwork always came first. He hoped that would never change. Her passion and the way she did things full on, full force was part of what attracted him to her in the first place. Life with Hermione would never be boring and Ron couldn't think of anyplace he'd rather be than where he was right now. The only thing that bothered him at the moment was the darkness in the broom closet. "Hermione, do you think you could do anything about the lighting in here? It's kind of dark and as much as I like feeling you, I'd like to see you as well. Can you light the candles?"

Hermione snorted indignantly as she stepped back from Ron. "Ron, you are the laziest person on the face of this earth. You can't even light a candle by yourself." She started to move about the small room, feeling along the shelves.

"Hermione, what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing, Ron? I'm looking for a match," she said very matter of factly as she moved a box that was sitting on the edge of the shelf.

Ron laughed as the box fell and crashed to the floor. Hermione uttered a soft curse and bent to get the box, picking up the contents that had fallen. As she placed the box back on the shelf she turned and with a solemn look said to Ron, "No matches." Ron grinned as held up his wand. "Hello?"

Even in the darkness of the room, Ron could see Hermione's glare. "Yes, I know. I'm a witch. You just make me so jumpy that sometimes I can't think straight." She sighed as she pulled her wand out from her robe and pointed it at the candles. "_Incendio_" she softly said.

Ron watched as Hermione lit the candles with a wave of her wand. The candles flickered to life and in the dim light Hermione turned to face him. The light illuminated her curly hair, making it glow like a halo about her face and shoulders. Her brown eyes looked even darker and larger than usual. A slight blush stained her cheeks as she crossed her arms against her chest but she looked Ron directly in the eye and Ron wondered, not for the first time, how he got so lucky to have Hermione all to himself.

He stood up straight, shoved off from the wall and crossed the length of the small room to where Hermione was standing. Slowly he reached down, took her hands, and pulled her into his arms. Hermione snuggled into his chest and Ron rested his chin on her head, thankful for the growth spurt that allowed him to do so. Breathing in deeply he could still smell the lingering fragrance of the shampoo she used that morning. It smelled of oranges and cinnamon and it was uniquely Hermione. He moved his hands up and down her back and she sighed at his touch. Stepping back slightly, he took one hand and tipped her chin up so he could look down at her. Hermione smiled up at him and Ron felt his heart skip another beat. The fact that she couldn't feel his hand shake as he touched her face was beyond Ron's comprehension. Her eyes glittered in the candlelight and Ron saw glints of gold within them. He could spend hours staring into them but at this moment he had other ideas. His eyes traveled down to her full lips and he licked his lips with anticipation. Hermione giggled as he brought his lips down on her cheek and suddenly she stopped laughing.

Ron gently brushed his lips across her cheek, making little kisses as he trailed his way across her face to her mouth. He marveled at how soft her skin was and he thought about how she would feel against him wearing less clothes and more skin. Kissing her cheek was wonderful but the feeling of putting his lips on Hermione's heart-shaped lips was incredible. Ron kissed her full on the mouth and then nipped at her upper lip. He opened his mouth a little and touched his tongue to her lips as if asking for admittance. Hermione sighed audibly and parted her lips. Ron took the invitation and began a sweeping exploration of her mouth. Her tongue met his and Ron felt his body go weak. Fighting the urge to lay her down on the floor and cover her body with his, he let his tongue dance with hers until he heard her moan into his mouth. He held her tighter as he moved from her mouth to kiss her eyelids, her nose, her cheeks and her neck. Ron felt her shiver against him as he nipped his way up her neck, moving back towards her mouth. Once again, he kissed her lips and she opened her mouth almost automatically as she leaned into him and moved enticingly against him. Ron undulated against her as he moved his hands up and down her back, finally coming to rest in her hair. He rubbed her neck and then brought both hands around to cup her face. He grinned as he watched while she opened her eyes and blinked as the world came back into focus.

She smiled up at him and stroked his cheek with a shaking hand. "I need to say something Ron, and I'm not sure how to say it." Immediately Ron began to think the worst. _She doesn't want to be with me! I knew it. I knew that this was too good to be true. She doesn't care; she's going to break it off with me, _his thoughts trailed off as he realized that Hermione was speaking again. He owed it to her to pay attention, even if she was going to give him the worst news of his life. "…I guess what I'm trying to say is that I like this." She gestured to him and back to herself. "I like what's happened between us and I think that…no, I KNOW… that I love you," Hermione looked down, bowed her head and twisted her hands together as she softly continued, "and I was wondering how you felt… about me."

Ron didn't know what do with himself so he settled for grabbing her about the waist and twirling her around the small room, kissing her as they spun around. Hermione's laugh rang out and Ron thought it was the best sound he had ever heard.

"Ron, you're making me dizzy. Put me down," Hermione tried to sound annoyed but her smile showed that she was failing miserably. "I think I can take your reaction to mean you feel the same way?" Ron stopped spinning her and looked down at her with a glower showing on his face.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," Ron said exasperatedly, "Can you at least _let__me_ _tell you _how I feel? Why do you _always _answer the questions you ask me?" Hermione looked contrite as she wriggled away from him. "Sorry," she muttered. Ron reached out, grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back against him. "You stay here!" He rubbed his hands possessively up and down her back. Hermione sighed and rested her head against his chest. With her warm body pressed up against him, Ron had difficulty breathing and keeping his thoughts rational.

"Now, in answer to your question," Ron swallowed hard and cleared his throat as he searched for the right words to describe what he was feeling. "I think that I have half been in love with you for the past two years. When you came down those stairs at the Yule Ball, I just about felt my heart jump out of my body. There was no way, absolutely no way, that was you." Hermione tried to look up at him but Ron's hand moved to her hair and he began to play with the curly mass, twining the strands through his long fingers. "You were just so…so bloody beautiful, I knew something was different, something had…changed. I just didn't know what." Ron shook his head as he continued. "I know now that I was jealous. I was so jealous you were there with Vicky and that he was going to get to hold you and dance with you. I know now that I wanted it to be me. I wanted to be the one to dance with you, to hold you, to…kiss you." Ron stopped and stepped back so he could look down at her. He was surprised to see that she met his gaze full on. "There's more I still have to say," he said solemnly.

"Tell me," she whispered.

He swallowed again and continued. "When Ginny told me you had snogged Krum and I had found out you were taking MacLaggen to the Slug party, I just lost my temper. I was so angry and hurt…mostly at myself, for not acting on what I was feeling… I always figured you'd be there and then suddenly, you weren't. I just…just ended up with Lavender. I didn't mean for it to go as far as it did and I really didn't mean to hurt her," Ron sighed, "or _you_." He looked around the room vainly searching for something that would help him continue to speak.

Hermione grabbed his hands and squeezed them gently. "You were saying Ron?"

Ron looked back down at her, grinned sheepishly and continued. "I think I realized it that night in the hospital wing. I don't remember all of what happened, but one thing stood out. I was so scared because I didn't know what was happening to me. I couldn't speak or move or anything but when I heard your voice I knew I was going to be fine…as long as you were there…things would be just fine. I knew I needed you. I knew. And then when we started talking again, it just confirmed what I felt." Ron gazed directly into her dark brown eyes and without a doubt in his voice said, "I love you Hermione." He softly kissed her and nuzzled her ear as he whispered, "I don't know what is going to happen next but I do know I want to share it with you…always with you."

He felt Hermione hug him and then she moved away. She gave him a bright smile that lit up her whole face but Ron could see tears were falling down her face as well. "Ron," she said quietly, "I love you too… always," her voice cracked as she flew back into his arms and they hugged each other fiercely and then kissed in the soft light of the room.

After what may have been hours or seconds, Hermione gently pulled away. Ron groaned as she moved, "No Hermione, don't stop."

"Yes Ron, we have to go. Harry will be wondering what happened to us. I can't spend that long with Professor Vector," Hermione said as she moved slowly away from him and began to try to smooth out her hair. "I'll leave first and you follow in about five minutes. Alright?" Ron nodded absently as he stared at nothing on the wall behind her. "Ron, one more thing, Harry will know you weren't in the bathroom if you keep that expression on your face. Try and think about Malfoy and the Quidditch match," Hermione giggled as she walked towards the door.

As she opened the closet door she turned to Ron.

"Ron?"

"Yeah, Hermione?"

"Don't forget."

"Don't forget what?"

"It's a secret."

Ron laughed as she closed the door behind her.


End file.
